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Atlanta offers Chick-Fil-A Bowl visitors plenty to do outside of the Georgia Dome

The crashing wave overhead simulates the animals’ natural habitat in this tank at the Georgia Aquarium. Visiting the aquarium is just one thing Atlanta's visitors can do while preparing for the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.
(Photo by photo couresty of the Geogia Aquarium)

With tigers of all types converging upon Atlanta ahead of the Chick-Fil-A-Bowl on New Year's Eve, The Chick-Fil-A Bowl is enough to draw tigers of all types to Atlanta this New Year's Eve, but the city offers up plenty to do when you're not huddled up in the Georgia Dome. With the world's largest aquarium and an 800-pound peach drop on New Year's, Atlanta offers up enough to keep any tiger busy.

1) The Man with a Dream: The Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site includes a visit to King's childhood home, the Ebenezer Baptist Church where he served as reverend and the final resting place of both King and his wife, Coretta Scott King. Tours of King's birth home are available daily, but it's suggested visitors come early because first-come first-served tours fill up quickly. (Note: Sites are closed on New Year's Day.)

3) Fun on a String: Since Kermit the Frog and Jim Henson cut the ribbon in 1978, the Center for Puppetry Arts has exposed kids of all ages to the art and skill of puppetry. Performances of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" run through Jan. 6, and the center also offers a museum.

4) Can you speak whale?: The Georgia Aquarium is the largest in the world and contains animals from each corner of the globe. Check out the teeth on some piranhas, ogle some jellyfish then swim with a whale shark. The aquarium is open on New Year's Day. The Aquarium is offering a Chick-Fil-A Bowl Fan night on Sunday, Dec. 30 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are $24.95.

7) Honoring History: The Oakland Cemetery is only minutes away from the city center and easily accessible by MARTA, Atlanta's mass transit system. The cemetery is the final resting place of 3,000 unknown Confederate soldiers, Margaret Mitchell, author of "Gone With The Wind," and tennis player Bobby Jones, among other Georgia notables.

8) Festivus for the Fan in Us: The Chick-Fil-Bowl is throwing two parties for fans. The FanFest Made Possibly by Coca-Cola Zero starts at 2 p.m. on Dec. 31. Tickets for the FanFest are $15. The FanFest will have family-friendly activities like both teams' cheerleaders and mascots leading fight songs. If you're looking for something a little more grown-up, try the MVP Tailgate presented by BB&T, which kicks off at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $60 and include a buffet and a drink-ticket. Both events are in the Georgia World Congress Center.

9) Get Inspired: The High Museum of Art contains extensive permanent exhibitions of photography, America, African, European and modern art. The museum is also currently home to a traveling exhibition from MoMA, which features artwork from six pivotal artistic moments between 1913 and 2013. Mention the Chick-Fil-A Bowl and get $3 off admission.

10) Garden Lights: The Atlanta Botanical Garden is lit up with more than 1 million twinkling lights for "Garden Lights, Holiday Nights," a nighttime show lighting the gardens with holiday cheer. Night admission Thursday through Sunday is $20, and Monday-Wednesday is $17. The Botanical Garden, which is easily accessible by MARTA, is closed on New Year's Eve.

Been to any of these attractions before? Or do you have different ideas of what's fun in Atlanta? Let us know in the comments below!